Celebrating the Wonders of Winter
Winter's arrival transforms the Thompson Okanagan into a snow-capped wonderland, where families and friends can enjoy adventures, food, and beverages.
Sun Peaks Resort by Destination BC/Ryan Creary
Visitors see some of the best views in the Thompson Okanagan while celebrating one of the “coolest” seasons the region offers - winter. Winter blankets the region in frost-covered trails and snow-capped mountains while unlocking a variety of things to do while you stay a while in the Thompson Okanagan.
Fat Bike along the Snowy Trails
The snow-covered trails invite you to try a different type of biking: fat biking. Using a bike with oversized tires will allow you to bike through the snowiest conditions, so you don't have to hang up your helmet just yet! Check out the winter trails and let your fat bike take you around the beautiful Thompson Okanagan.
Fat Biking through a tunnel in Myra Canyon, Kelowna by Thompson Okanagan/Matthew Clark
Ice Fishing
Wintertime in the Thompson Okanagan doesn’t mean the end of fishing season for the dedicated angler. With warm socks, mittens, toques, and a bit of patience, you can catch a fish even during the coldest season of the year. Spend the day with Elevated Fishing Adventures and experience a fully guided fishing tour at Sun Peaks.
Mountain Resorts
There are seven mountain resorts for you to enjoy during your stay in the Thompson Okanagan. Each mountain offers a different view and landscape for you to traverse, regardless of whether you choose to snowboard or ski. Maybe you want to slow it down a bit during your stay? The mountain resorts in the region offer more than just snowboarding and skiing. Enjoy family fun activities like tubing, skating, and snowshoeing.
Snowboarding at Apex Mountain Resort by Destination BC/Ben Giesbrecht
Local Flavours for Après-ski (or Anytime this Winter)
Traditionally, après-ski or after skiing involves celebrating a successful day of skiing with a glass of champagne while enjoying great food and even better company at the ski lodge. However, the Thompson Okanagan offers a wide variety of local flavours for you to enjoy after any winter activity.
Farm-to-Table
Farms, orchards, and other local growers may have long finished their growing season while you are celebrating winter in the Thompson Okanagan. However, there is no shortage of local restaurants offering dishes made with regional produce.
Wineries
Although the vines have long stopped growing and the trees have lost their leaves, many tasting rooms around the region are open during the winter. Regardless of which area you decide to visit, there are wine trails throughout the region with plenty of varietals for you to try and enjoy.
District Wine Village
The wonder of the Thompson Okanagan winter has made its way further south into Oliver this year with District Wine Village’s new synthetic ice rink. Visitors can enjoy an afternoon of typical winter wonder skating on CAN-ICE, tasting delicious BC wines, or pair the two with skiing or snowboarding at Mount Baldy with their “Chill and Thrill” offer.
About the author
Nadia is a proud former Thompson Okanagan tourist who now lives in beautiful Kelowna, BC. She hopes to tell the stories of the region’s beauty and hidden treasures while rediscovering the destination she spent enjoying on family vacations.
Accessible Adventure - Inclusivity on the Rail Trail
Sonja shares her top two ways to experience Okanagan rail trails, including four of her favourite access points and their accessible features - helping you plan ahead, get out there and enjoy the beauty of the Okanagan!
“Rail Trails seem to be the hottest experiences that outdoor enthusiasts are choosing to explore these days. The rail trails throughout the Okanagan Valley are a great way to enjoy the beautiful natural spaces that surround us while exercising and nurturing your overall well-being - physically, mentally and emotionally!”
As a wheelchair user, experiencing the rail trails can depend on your choice or mode of transportation - handcycle, manual wheelchair, power wheelchair, scooter - and any additional mobility attachments or power assist devices that you might have, including willing friends and family. They can assist you along the way if need be! Exploring these trails is also based on your level of adventure and willingness to explore. Whether you are ready to venture out onto the hard-packed gravel-surfaced rail trails, or you prefer to stick to the paved pathways and trails that also exist.
I love to experience the rail trails one of two ways:
Manual Wheelchair
When using my manual wheelchair - I will always attach my GoFreeWheel front attachment, which lifts the front castors - the ones that cause us so much trouble on rough and uneven surfaces! Depending on the level of energy I want to exert on each particular outing - I can also attach my SmartDrive power assist, which, when paired with the FreeWheel, works incredibly well! I can’t stress enough how pairing these two attachments have opened up so many trails and different terrain that I would not typically be able to access as a manual wheelchair user.
Handcycle
Depending on several factors and the purpose of my outing, who I am with, stops along the way, speed and distance of travel, another way I like to explore the rail trails is via my handcycle. It’s nothing fancy, but it is one that can handle uneven off-road terrain. It has larger width tires that are suited for both on and off-road use. I could choose to put mountain bike tires on as well, but for me, I find this creates too much drag, and I’m just out for a leisurely, enjoyable ride.
“Here are some of my favorite rail trail access points and their accessible features so that you can plan ahead and choose the trailhead that works best for you! ”
COLDSTREAM / KICKWILLIE TRAILHEAD
Accessing the rail trail in Coldstream at the Kickwillie access point can be a bit of a challenge but well worth it! There are saskatoon berries galore for picking and be on the lookout for raptors searching for their next meal along the shoreline.
Accessible Features:
Four designated accessible parking stalls in total
Two parking stalls that can accommodate a side lift or ramp
Accessing the trail from the parking area is a bit of a challenge, but there are two options:
A gravel surface ramp with 7.5 degrees of slope
Or you can choose to travel on the paved road which runs parallel to the gravel ramp
KEKULI BAY Trailhead
This is a great trailhead to leave from as you can choose to head north towards Vernon or south towards Oyama. Either direction you choose to travel, the breathtaking views of the lake and the feeling of freedom in nature and open spaces will nurture your soul!
Accessible Features:
One designated accessible parking stall that can accommodate a side lift or ramp
Other parking options available could be in the boat trailer parking lot or an end spot in one of the other parking areas that you will find there
Access from the parking areas to the trailhead: Paved downslope grade of 7-9 degrees depending on where you are parked
Men's and women's outhouse washroom. Although they are not identified as accessible, they are both very accessible (Level entry access, flush toilets / oblong shaped toilet seat, grab bars, roll under the sink with lever controls, mirror at an accessible height, ample floor space to accommodate a wheelchair)
OYAMA BOAT LAUNCH Trailhead
This is one of my favorite rail trail access points to start from! Heading south from the parking area towards Winfield and along the east shores of Wood Lake is another fabulous section of the rail trail. Be sure to stop for a photo opportunity at the waterfall along the way!
Accessible Features:
Two designated accessible parking stalls than can accommodate a side lift or ramp
Hard packed gravel surface parking lot
Wheelchair accessible porta potty
Access onto the rail trail is directly in front of the accessible parking stalls.
Once on the trail, if you choose to head north towards Oyama, you may want to plan and consider any one of these stops along the way to add to your experience:
From here, you can continue north towards Vernon and take in the vistas that surround as you travel along the shores of Kalamalka Lake, “the lake of many colours.”
WINFIELD / WOODSDALE ROAD TRAILHEAD
This is another trailhead access point that you may want to consider exploring. If you choose to travel north towards Oyama, the trail follows the lakeshore of Wood Lake where you will pass through a rich riparian native habitat that supports a variety of plants, birds and other wildlife. Aircraft enthusiasts may choose to travel south towards the Kelowna Airport and watch the takeoffs and landings overhead.
Accessible Features:
Level hard-packed gravel parking lot / no marked parking stalls
Level access onto the rail trail
At this time, there is no accessible washroom
Something I like to do after my roll along this section of the trail is plan ahead and make the short drive to one of the Lake Country wineries for a well-deserved wood fire oven pizza and a glass of world-class Okanagan wine. This is the perfect ending to another fantastic accessible experience here in the beautiful Okanagan Valley!
O’Rourkes Peak Cellars Winery
Blind Tiger Vineyards
The complete map of the Okanagan Rail Trail can be a great reference to help you plan your adventure. Be sure to contact CRIS Adaptive to inquire about their adaptive equipment rental program and other recreational programs they have to offer. Happy Adventuring!
About the Author
Sonja Gaudet is a retired 3 X Paralympic Gold Medalist and most recently a Canadian Order of Sport Inductee 2020/21. She lives in Vernon with her husband Dan and two adult children Alysha and Colten. Sonja has a passion in locating and creating accessible experiences in the Okanagan region. Some of her adventures include kayaking, exploring the accessible hiking trails with her dog Lina, and enjoying Charcuterie with her most recently discovered favorite glass of red wine, more than likely from somewhere in the South Okanagan or Similkameen region.
IG @SonjaGaudet